Don't you hate all the junk ...

[unrealrocks]

Thats installed on new laptops. I've just got my new DELL Inspiron 6000 today and it was filled with AOL Trial, Wanadoo demo, Norton 90 day trial etc. ... I DONT WANT IT! lol. I considered just reinstalling but I can't be bothered really, so just went through the AddRemove programs and deleted it all.

[unreal]

Not as bad as when I bought a laptop from my friend - it took about 12 mins to start up, and adaware found nearly 2000 objects, and it had all sorts of other crap on it.

[Garf]

Im dreading the stuff I have to remove.

My heart sank when I was ordering my new laptop today and I saw XP Home. First thing first, remove the Windows Messenger service from it.

[sidespin]

Tell me about it. I formatted straightaway, and installed xp pro.

Unfortunately I've now lost Dell Media Experience. Is this worth having? I have no idea how to get it back - is it on that hidden hard drive partition?

[Xaneden]

Its on one of the bundled discs, not sure of the name exactly, but one disc has security demos, and the other has the Media Experience program

I personally reinstalled Windows immediately after getting my 8600.

[sidespin]

Yeah, the amount of rubbish on there is disgusting.

Hmm... I only got a Microsoft Works disc with my notebook. I contacted Dell for some cd's, but they haven't replied yet.

[Xaneden]

Sidespun, your bet is to ring their telesales number and ask to be put forward to their tech support. You'll then get an Irish person who should be able to help you out more than the Indian ones will

[Matt1eD]

I hate it too, I just format and put XP Pro on. If you're a business (against their contracts with MS to do it with home users) then they'll do a clean install for you if you ask.

[Xaneden]

I hate it too, I just format and put XP Pro on. If you're a business (against their contracts with MS to do it with home users) then they'll do a clean install for you if you ask.

They'll do that even if you aren't a company. When you are in the ordering process, and you get the email showing the specification; it shows 'free 30 day trial of McAfee' etc. If you ring Dell up to edit that specification before you pay, you can then ask to remove those things.

[Matt1eD]

They'll do that even if you aren't a company. When you are in the ordering process, and you get the email showing the specification; it shows 'free 30 day trial of McAfee' etc. If you ring Dell up to edit that specification before you pay, you can then ask to remove those things.

So a friend told me, I thought you could. After speaking with an employee of MS who had just bought a dell and I mentioned the crap, and that a friend had asked Dell to include a blank HDD, he claimed it was against Dell's contracts with MS.... but then again removing the OS may be (like the meetings with Linspire, arranged until seniors in Dell, quickly put their foot down) against the contract but spose McAffee e.t.c. isn't

[Xaneden]

True Pyle, and also its a ploy to make less experienced users buy the software. Lets face it, Mr Smith, whos never used a computer before, sees an advert on TV, for a 'high tech' PC for 'only £299'. He decides to order, and when he gets it, find that it has 'anti virus'. Now even people who don't use computers, have had the likes of the Daily Mail tell them about the dangers of paedophiles, criminals, fraud and viruses (which seems to be the definition of the internet to my mother at least ). So they'll go along with it. Uh oh, 30 days later, it asks for you to pay to continue.

I doubt many of those people wouldn't oblige.

[Norky]

You think that's bad? I bought a dirt cheap TIME pc [forgive me father!] and had to fresh install Windows XP before it would let me use my own internet connection!

[Xaneden]

You think that's bad? I bought a dirt cheap TIME pc [forgive me father!] and had to fresh install Windows XP before it would let me use my own internet connection!

Lol, I thought Time used the same 'one ISP only' 56k modems as Tiny? Such a rip off

[Matt1eD]

Never had that with a Tiny (I didn't choose it, and was six years ago)

[Xaneden]

Never had that with a Tiny (I didn't choose it, and was six years ago)

Really? I thought all Time and Tiny systems had modems which only worked with Supernet?

[Matt1eD]

May do now (or until they just went bankrupt) but not six years ago. Worked first with Tiny ISP (which may have been reselling Supanet) then that was bought by Tiscali, and we moved over to Tiscali, before that anyway.

Now on brdbnd, not with Tiscali